Hello! My name is Arushi Bansal. I just finished my second year at Pitt as a Public Health major and Bioethics Certificate student. I am excited to say I have reached Graz, Austria, as part of the Comparative Healthcare in Graz program! I knew I wanted to participate in this program before I even committed to Pitt, so this trip has been a dream come true so far.
In this program, we will be located in Graz, Austria, for three weeks with weekend trips to Salzburg and Vienna. We will conclude with a final week in Maribor, Slovenia. I chose this program because of my interest in comparing global healthcare systems to that of the United States. As a Public Health major, I believe it is essential to step outside of the US to gain a realistic perspective of Austrian and Slovenian healthcare systems and learn how we can improve our own. One of my goals as an aspiring physician is to address inequities in healthcare accessibility in the US and beyond, so I hope to gain that insight from this experience.
Austria has one of the highest insurance coverage rates in the world, while in the US, almost a quarter of the population cannot afford quality healthcare even with insurance. Additionally, Slovenia faces major provider shortages. Through hospital, pharmacy, and various other site visits, along with classroom learning, I hope to learn how these countries manage hospital wait times and disparities in specialized, out-of-pocket care. Studying their healthcare models will enhance my Public Health and Bioethics studies at Pitt.
So far, in the first few days, we have toured the Medical University of Graz, LKH Hospital, VinziDorf, a pharmacy, and the Austrian Red Cross. It has been so interesting to learn how medical education works, the inner workings of the largest hospital in Europe by ground area, how the unhoused population is cared for, fixed prescription fees to work around high medication costs, and the ambulance system.
Now, we are off to Salzburg for the weekend! I look forward to reporting back next weekend after another busy and fulfilling week.